Photo: getty
What is going on?
By Amy Lamare — Written on Jun 06, 2019
I am a fan of an all-inclusive tropical vacation. I go at least once a year. But believe me, I am taking the Dominican Republic off my list now that a third American has died while on vacation in the D.R. Miranda Shaup-Werner was a healthy 41-year-old on vacation with her husband at the Grand Bahia Principe Bouganville on May 25th. The couple was celebrating their ninth wedding anniversary. Friends and family said she collapsed and died shortly after having a drink at the hotel. This was five days before Cynthia Day and Edward Holmes were found dead in their room at the same exact resort. What is going on? Who is Miranda Shaup-Werner?
1. Collapsed and died
Miranda and her husband Daniel arrived at the resort on May 25th. They were getting situated in their hotel room when Miranda decided to kick off their vacation with a drink from the min-ibar. She had a small bottle of liquor with a soda. Less than an hour later, she called out to her husband. She was unable to breathe, collapsed and couldn't speak. He tried to help her by performing CPR. Paramedics arrived and gave Miranda an epinephrine injection. It didn't help and Miranda died shortly afterwards.
2. The hotel's statement
The hotel released a statement saying: "Mrs. Schaup-Werner's cause of death was determined to be a heart attack, aligning with official statements provided by Mr. Werner, who confirmed she had a history of heart conditions." Miranda's family claims she died from the same lung condition as Cynthia Day and Edward Holmes. An autopsy found that the couple had respiratory failure and pulmonary edema — a condition caused by excess fluid in the lungs.
3. She was from Pennsylvania
Miranda Shaup-Werner was a psychotherapist from Allentown, Pennsylvania. She and her husband checked into the resort on the same day as Cynthia Day and Edward Holmes. Jay McDonald, Daniel's brother-in-law told Fox News: "Daniel and all of us are in a state of disbelief, we are shocked. She was perfectly content, everything seemed fine. It was, at first, a little confusing that there was such a strong parallel…it immediately caused serious concern for us. That was beyond coincidence. They died five days after and the cause was determined to be the same, this just puts this whole thing through the stratosphere — something is going on, and we want to know what it is.”
4. Violence against tourists
Miranda is the fourth American to have serious issues while on vacation in the Dominican Republic. In January, Tammy Lawrence-Daley and her husband were vacationing at the Majestic Elegance resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. She went to get a snack and was brutally attacked by a man wearing the hotel's uniform. She was beaten nearly to death and left in a hole full of waste water to die. In a Facebook post, she wrote: "This man thought he killed me, but he failed. He is still out there, a predator, waiting for his next victim. Only the next woman may not be so fortunate. These attacks are happening too frequently and the criminals are NOT being prosecuted even though evidence is found. Victims are not being compensated for medical or pain and suffering and the resorts are not held liable.” Police did not investigate or press charges, and the resort didn’t take responsibility for her attack. Instead, Majestic Elegance decided to try and hide the story.
Amy Lamare is a Los Angeles based freelance writer covering entertainment, pop culture, beauty, fashion, fitness, technology, and the intersection of technology, business, and philanthropy. She is deeply devoted to her chocolate Labrador and an avid long distance runner. You can find her on Instagram and Facebook.